Beirut Barracks Memorial Tree - Arlington, Virginia
Posted by: flyingmoose
N 38° 52.687 W 077° 03.944
18S E 320810 N 4305279
Memorial dedicated to the lives lost during the Beirut barracks attack.
Waymark Code: WM14KJE
Location: Virginia, United States
Date Posted: 07/21/2021
Views: 0
The tree is likely the second tree to be planted in the spot, if not the third. In front of the tree is a large slab with the following text:
"Let Peace Take Root"
This Cedar of Lebanon Tree grows in living memory of the americans killed in the Beirut terrorist attack and all the victims of terorism thorughout the world.
Dedicated during the first memorial ceremony for these victims.
Given by no greater love
October 23, 1984
A time of remembrance
Taken from the Arlington National Cemetery webpage:
The Beirut Barracks Memorial honors the 241 American service members who lost their lives in the October 23, 1983 bombing of a U.S. Marines Corps barracks in Beirut, Lebanon, during the Lebanese Civil War. Two truck bombs, detonated by suicide bombers, struck buildings that housed U.S. and French military members of a multinational peacekeeping force, killing a total of 299 service personnel (241 American, 58 French), along with six civilians and the two suicide bombers. It was the deadliest single-day attack against U.S. Marines since the battle over Iwo Jima in 1945.
Dedicated in 1984 on the first anniversary of the attack, the memorial is located beneath a cedar tree in Section 59 of the cemetery. Its inscription reads, "Let peace take root. This cedar of Lebanon tree grows in living memory of the Americans killed in the Beirut terrorist attack and all victims of terrorism throughout the world."
Twenty-one U.S. service members killed in the bombing are buried near the marker. All are in Section 59, unless otherwise noted.